Testing STEP Decision Support Toolkit for LTC-to-hospital transfer decision-making
Official title: Evaluation of the STEP Intervention for Long-Term Care Residents Facing Hospital Transfer Decisions
A Pre-Post Trial Evaluating the Supporting Transitions and Empowering Preferences (STEP) Decision Support Intervention for Long-Term Care Residents Facing Hospital Transfer Decisions During Acute Health Crises
- 1 group
- 2 sites in Ottawa
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Behavioural therapy
STEP Decision Support Toolkit
The STEP toolkit includes (1) an educational booklet provided upon admission and annually, (2) condition-specific decision aids addressing common clinical scenarios, and (3) structured phone scripts for staff. STEP empowers residents and care partners to actively engage in decision-making, promotes care aligned with personal values, and supports staff in facilitating advance care planning to reduce unnecessary or complex transitions.
Canadian Sites (2)
2 of 2 recruiting
- Recruiting
Bruyère Health Saint-Louis Long-Term Care
Ottawa, Ontario
- Recruiting
Perley Health
Ottawa, Ontario
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for10 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +Residents-care partner dyads:
- +Must be residents of either Perley Health or Bruyère Health Saint-Louis LTC home.
- +Residents must be 55 years of age or older.
- +Must be able to communicate in French or English.
- +Both members of the dyad will be included where applicable. For dyads in which residents do not have the capacity to participate, inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → will occur through the involvement of their substitute decision-maker (e.g., power of attorney for personal care).
- +LTC staff:
- +Must be a nurse, nurse practitioner, social service worker or physician actively involved in care planning, annual conferences, or managing acute health events at Perley Health or Bruyère Health.
- +Must have been employed at the LTC home for at least 6 months to ensure familiarity with the care environment and residents.
- +Must play a role in facilitating discussions, providing clinical input (where applicable), or guiding decision-making processes related to hospital transitions or acute care management.
- +Must be able to communicate in French or English.
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is looking at how care is delivered and organised, rather than at a treatment itself.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
Who receives what
Everyone in this study is in one group and receives STEP Decision Support Toolkit.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].label
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
How the study is run
There is only one group in this study, so there is no assignment to different treatments.
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
Who the study is looking for
The study lists a minimum age of 55 years, with no upper limit given.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 200 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around September 2027.
The main measurement is taken over: Administered by Research Assistant 1-6 weeks after a transition decision.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Decisional Conflict — measured over Administered by Research Assistant 1-6 weeks after a transition decision.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT07153341 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About STEP Decision Support ToolkitBehavioural
The STEP toolkit includes (1) an educational booklet provided upon admission and annually, (2) condition-specific decision aids addressing common clinical scenarios, and (3) structured phone scripts for staff. STEP empowers residents and care partners to actively engage in decision-making, promotes care aligned with personal values, and supports staff in facilitating advance care planning to reduce unnecessary or complex transitions.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a behavioural is here: A programme, therapy, education, or lifestyle approach being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: a minimum age of 55 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
There is only one group in this study, so there is no assignment to different treatments.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists a minimum age of 55 years, with no upper limit given.
It is open to people of any sex.
It does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: Administered by Research Assistant 1-6 weeks after a transition decision..
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2027-09-01.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 200 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
This trial will evaluate whether the Supporting Transitions and Empowering Preferences (STEP) toolkit can improve decision-making about hospital transfers in long-term care residents and their substitute decision-makers and enhance decision self-efficacy in nursing staff. The trial will answer the questions: * Does the STEP tool reduce decisional conflict in residents and care partners at the time of transfer decisions? * Does it improve nurse self-efficacy related to hospital transfer decisions? Participants will: * Use the STEP tool during key moments of care planning (admission, care conferences, and acute events) * Complete a short survey measuring their decisional conflict * Be supported by trained nurses who use STEP to guide hospital transfer discussions Researchers will compare data collected before and after the STEP tool is implemented at two long-term care homes to see if it improves shared decision-making related to hospital transfers by reducing decisional conflict.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.